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Show Lucy-4 summer. Lucy managed to get herself sprayed a few more times during our evening walks, and she suffered more baths, giving her funny squint that told me she was obeying under protest. She rose to every new occasion. Ping pong, for example. After an ecstatic leap atop the table, she understood "no!" and became a dedicated retriever of wildly ponged balls, which she dropped into our hands with nary a dent. One afternoon she caught sight of three lambs in the central field, perked up her ears, squealed, "Oh yes!" and hurried out to herd the lambs, gently, slowly, moving off to round up a stray as diligently as a trained sheepdog. This ranch was adjacent to Best Friends (and later became part of it). One of my writing-workshop hosts volunteered there, so I had the great good fortune to be taken for a visit where I met Michael Mountain, Faith Maloney, Steven Hirano, Francis, many others of that hard working crew, and a legion of happy animals. I was even given the honor of helping clean cats' ears. Lucy would wait for me patiently at the cattery doors. On our first trip to Dog Town, Lucy ran between me and the other dogs, barking protectively, but she soon understood that here was no threat, only splendid company. So began a series of summer visits to Best Friends, dog walking with Tyson, litter box scrubbing, proofreading a Best Friends issue, sleeping in a trailer next to the wolf-dogs- whose howling was the most beautiful music I'd ever heard-exchanging poetry with gifted writer, Steven, taking in the sweet breath of Faithful and True and the other horses. Lucy understood that she was not to come inside the pasture with us, a knowledge she subsequentjy^transferred to all horse situations-show arenas, exercise |